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St. Francis faces Nazareth in the semifinals of the 2024 Class 5A IHSA football playoffs. Friday Night Drive editor Josh Welge will have live updates, scores and news from the game.
What to know
St. Francis vs. Nazareth kickoff: 1 p.m. Saturday
Where: Nazareth
About the Spartans: St. Francis is known for an offense that’s amassed just over 30 points a game this season – but it is the defense that carried the day last week in a 10-0 win over previously undefeated Sycamore. It was the second shutout recorded by St. Francis this season and first since Week 2 – a good sign for a unit that has been susceptible at times to giving up points (five games of 27-plus points allowed). St. Francis is in a familiar spot. The Spartans are in the semifinals for the third consecutive season, but have dropped close calls to Providence and Nazareth the past two times and seek a breakthrough – the program’s first state appearance since winning the 2008 Class 5A championship. These two programs are no strangers. They met in Week 9 last year (a 35-17 St. Francis win), in the semifinals last year (a 38-31 Nazareth win) and in Week 9 this year (a 39-36 St. Francis win). Junior QB Brady Palmer returned from a late hit out of bounds in that game this year to throw for four TDs, including the game-winner late in the fourth quarter to Zach Washington. Washington, who holds 13 offers including Illinois, Indiana and Minnesota, is one of a host of targets for Palmer, including Ian Willis and Tanner Glock, although junior tight end and Division I prospect Gavin Mueller is out for the year with a torn labrum.
About the Roadrunners: Two-time defending Class 5A champion Nazareth has looked the part of a team intent on a three-peat during its playoff run. The Roadrunners have blown out three playoff opponents by an average margin of victory of 36.7 points, and are coming off a tidy 42-8 rout on the road at Rochelle. Now Nazareth hopes for history to repeat itself with a semifinal win over St. Francis following a Week 9 loss to the Spartans. Senior QB Logan Malachuk leads a Nazareth group with a ton of big-game experience. Malachuk, a four-year starter, threw for 212 yards and two TDs, and junior and three-year varsity starter Lesroy Tittle ran for two TDs against Rochelle. Stanford recruit Gabe Kaminski, another four-year starter, led a Nazareth defense that held Rochelle to 145 total yards. Nazareth’s defense has shown a few cracks during the season – allowing 56 points to Mount Carmel and 39 to St. Francis in its two losses – but has been dominant during its playoff run. Nazareth seeks its eighth state finals appearance since 2014.
Advancement: Winner faces the winner of No. 13 Morris (8-4) at No. 6 Joliet Catholic (9-3)
FND Pick: Nazareth